(Reuters) – South Africa captain Siya Kolisi says the players are enjoying the more expansive style of rugby they showed against France last weekend and are ready to repeat that when they face a buoyant Italy in their autumn international fixture on Saturday.
The Springboks moved away from their territorial kicking game and ran at the French in Marseille in a noticeable shift in tactics. Although they ultimately lost 30-26, it was one of the best performances from the side in 2022.
“It’s frustrating for us as a team. We play so well and we lose by such close margins,” Kolisi told reporters on Friday. “We are headed in the right direction, but the game is all about results.
“We ran a whole lot more with the ball and that was a specific plan. The coaches want us to go back to what we enjoy and to be excited (with their style)… not that we weren’t excited with the way we played before.
“But if you look at the guys in our team, we love to defend as a group, but we also have Cheslin (Kolbe), Kurt-Lee (Arendse) and Willie (le Roux), who creates opportunities for others. And then Gaza (Damian Willemse) at flyhalf who plays on instinct.”
Kolisi said the Springboks’ ability to switch styles is a major asset that not many other teams can match.
“We want to try and play as many ways as we can to see as a group what is the best way for us. We can change from one to the other quite easily and I don’t think a lot of teams can do that around the world,” he said.
Italy edged Australia 28-27 last weekend in a major surprise result, and Kolisi believes there has been a vast improvement in the home side from the one his team thumped 49-3 on their way to winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“They (Italy) have shown they can play against any team,” he said. “Their set-piece is strong and their breakdown work is very good. Their forwards can do plays off a maul and scrum well too. The backs can attack from anywhere on the field.
“Teams need to show them a whole lot more respect than they have done in the past. That is what we have done as a team.”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
